A year ago, a group of interested residents at Havenwood Heritage Heights retirement community accepted our chaplain’s invitation to read and discuss Ibram X. Kendi’s book How To Be an Antiracist. The group spent the summer in near-weekly meetings exploring racism.
Most of us found that we were woefully ignorant of U.S. history. We formed a study group and for the past year we have continued to read, watch documentaries and listen to speakers. We have tried to educate ourselves and understand the world in which we live. In fact, we’ve spent the whole year studying what can loosely be called Critical Race Theory and we’ve found that CRT is not, as some say, a ‘divisive concept.’ It is in fact history.
It’s the history of the hundreds of systems, devised over hundreds of years, to maintain inequity between races. Now, with a better view of our history, we can see more clearly where and how those systems of racial inequality continue in our contemporary society – in our systems of land ownership, education, health care, housing, justice and voting to name a few.
Now we understand the concept and history of systemic racism. Our year-long studies have helped us to understand where our responsibilities lie today. We understand that while we may not be responsible for the actions of our ancestors, our world today is still much impacted by those ancestors’ actions. We surely agree that we have responsibility for the society in which we are living today.
For us old timers, reading and discussing together in our study group has not been a divisive experience. Rather, we have come together in closer, more respectful friendships and deeper understandings of how to be better neighbors in our community and better citizens in our country. We recommend the activity for people of all ages.
(Mary Davies, Patricia Bass and Lindley Kinerk live in Concord.)